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1. You really are a byproduct of star formation.

Prebiotic chemistry and possibly even life itself begins in space.

“If not for stars, there would be no glass and steel, no internet, and no iron-enriched vitamins to help us make it through the day,” I write in my book “Distant Wanderers.”

Thus, learning a little astrophysics could go a long way in understanding just how we got here.

2. Your life may depend on it.

We may all get whacked unexpectedly by a comet or asteroid that failed to make the current list of over 8,000 near-earth objects (NEOs) thus far identified. Tens of thousands of such potentially hazardous objects remain undetected.

But knowing a bit about planetary science could also help you explain to your kids why such catastrophes aren’t likely to happen within their own lifetimes.

Star party on the U.K.'s Isle of Wight Credit: Graham Green

3. Your place in the universe doesn't end at the edge of the deep blue sky.

The constellations fascinate us, in part, because they are linked to concepts of time and distance that are beyond our earthly imagining. But instinctually, we all understand that these tiny points of light are portals through which we might find answers to some of life's toughest questions.

"Nearly everyone is interested in astronomy at some level, whether it's just for the "pretty pictures" or because astronomy addresses "big questions," such as where did we come from and where are we going,” Rick Fienberg, an astronomer and the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) press officer told Forbes. “But our astronomical literacy is declining.”

By some estimates, more than a third of Americans don’t even understand the fact that the earth orbits our sun.

4. Astronomy is the alpha and omega of all science.

Astronomy should be the first science that kids are taught, because everything stems from cosmology and astrophysics.

As I told an astronomy communicators conference a couple of years back: What can trump the fact that we are still evolving from an astronomical event that happened 13.7 billion years ago?

Astronomy also benefits from and boosts our current digital economy with lots of follow-on technology.

Although it’s well known that the telescope was initially designed for military purposes, current telescopy’s state of the art engineering, laser and optical technologies have also spawned wide-ranging medical applications that save lives and human sight on a daily basis.

And because the process of trying to make sense of the universe is so far-reaching and ambitious, astronomy is now inherently interdisciplinary. As a result, it must span the fields of geology, biology, chemistry, nuclear and particle physics; as well as applied sciences like data analysis and computer science.

5. Astronomy is the ultimate means of communing with nature.

Anyone who’s looked up from a deserted beach on a clear dark night can easily appreciate the sheer rush from seeing all those points of light. But such jaunts can also be deeply humbling.

It’s pretty hard to walk away from a night sampling deep skies at a mountaintop observatory without a justifiable sense of awe. And also without sensing a real, albeit tenuous, connection with the cosmos at large.

The band of the Milky Way, including the central region of our galaxy, stretches across the sky. The MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope is seen in the foreground. Credit: ESO/José Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco.org)

However, even outside the major cities, dark skies are now much harder to come by, which only adds to our current estrangement from nature.

“Sky-glow and other forms of light pollution are disconnecting people from the sky,” said Fienberg. “There are so many indoor distractions, from 500 TV channels to video games to Facebook, that kids don't seem to spend nearly as much time outside.”